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(N0 Mod e1 W. H. HUBBARD.

FASTENING FOR ENVELOPBS. No. 383,642. Patented May 29, 1888.

@mk/ w M M PETERS, P'volo-Ulhngnpher. Wilhingion. D. C.

WILLIAM H. HUBBARD, or NDIANAPoLIs, INDIANA.

FASTENING FOR ENVELQPES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 383,642, dated May 29, 1888.

Application filed March .29, 1888. Serial No. 268,866. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. HUBBARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fastenings for Envelopes, &c.; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in fastenings for envelopes, boxes, parcels, and analogous packages, the object of my invention being to produce and combine with an on velope, box, paper bag, or other package a fastening which shall be chcap,durable, easily applied, and which will work effectively.

Envelopes have heretofore been made having a paper or metallic loop secured to the body, under which the open end of the envelope was tucked; but with heavy envelopes or paper bags it has been a difficult matter to crease the end of the envelope, fold it, and thread or tuck it underthe loop, and if the loop was high enough from the body of the envelope to allow the heavy end to be tucked under it the end was liable to slip out of place. This construction I do not desire to claim.

My invention consists in certain details of construction of the fastening, and in its special combination and arrangement with relation to the envelope, paper bag, or other packageto which it is secured, substantially as hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents in per spective an envelope with my improved fastening attached, said figure showing the envelope before its end is folded over and before the fastening is bent around the folded end; Fig. 2, a like view showing the end ofthe envelope folded over and engaged by the fastening; Fig.3, a perspective View of a box, showing my fastening as applied thereto; and Fig. 4, a detail of the fastening, showing the manner in which it is bent.

Referring to the drawings,\vhich form a part of this application, A represents an envelope, which is made of paper and which may be of any usual construction.

Inasmuch as my improved fastening may be applied to and used to advantage with either an envelope, paper bag, box, parcel, or analogous package, I will simply describe it as ap plied to an envelope without limiting myself to its use with any particular article mentioned.

Secured to the front face of the envelope A, near its open end, is a metallic fastening, B, preferably of steel wire,which fastening is secured to the envelope by means of a heavy strip, G,of flexible material-such as paperoverlapping a portion of the fastening and being pasted or cemented to the envelope. This fastening B will be of the shape shown in the drawings and be formed from a single piece of flexible wire, preferably steel, bent somewhat oblong with its sides parallel, the two ends of the wire resting next to the body of theenvelope and being covered by the securing-strip O.

This fasteningin practice will be constructed from a medium soft metal, so that it can be readily bent to the shapes illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, but will be of sufficient rigidity to retain its position after being bent without fear of disturbance from any ordinary causes.

This fastening B is constructed and applied to the envelope as follows: The wire,which is normally straight, is bent at a c a suitable distance each side the center at right angles, forming the front bar, I), and two side bars, 0 c, which side bars are extended through the openings 0, formed in the securing'strip 0, after which the side bars are bent near their ends, as at e e, at right angles inwardly to form the holding bars ff, which rest against the under side of the securing-strip G. Then the securing strip 0, with the fastening, is pasted or cemented to the body of the envelope asuitable distance below the end of the envelope,orjust far enough below the mouth of the envelope that when its end is folded down the fastening will project considerably beyond the end of the envelope. Afterthis folding of the end of the envelope the fastening B is laid over upon the folds and its upper end bent around, so that the end bar, I), and a portion of the side bars press tightly against the back of the envelope, as shown clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

By constructing the fastening from a'singl'e piece of flexible wire and securing it to the envelope, as shown and described, a pivotal connection is formed betweendt and the envelope, thus allowing it to be easily turned backward and forward, as on a pivot, and readily bent over to secure the folds of the envelope.

When using the fasteningwith paper boxes, the wire may extend through the body of the box and the securing-strip be pasted over the ends upon the inside of the box.

With this construction of fastening, bent as described, it will be noticed that the two side bars, 0 a, bear upon the folded portion of the envelope near'its outer edges, and that it has a long bearing in the direction of the width of the envelope at the rear side thereof,thus hold ing the folded portion of the envelope in close contact with the body at its edges and obviating the possibility of accidental displacement.

I clai 111- In combination,the envelope A, folded at its open end, as shown, the wire fastening B,consisting of the end bar, 6, side bars, 0 c, and holding-bars ff, and the flexible strip 0, having the openings 0 therein,through which the 25 ends of the wire are extended, which strip pivotally secures the fastening to the body of the envelope, as described, and the said fastening being bent so. as to bear upon the front and-rear faces of the envelope near the outer o edges to hold the folds in close contact with the body of the envelope, all substantiallyas shown and set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. HUBBARD.

\Vitnesses:

N. E. O. WHITNEY, JOSEPH A. MINTURN. 

